Box or crate



Jan. 3, 1950 A. c. THOMPSON BOX OR CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1946 maar mvENToR www O M JMW m, A

Jan. 3, 1950 A. c. THOMPSON 2,493,701

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Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTioFFl-CE o A BOX OR CRATE y Arthur C. Thompson, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application January 18, 1946, Serial No. 641,934

y 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a boxl or crate composed of prefabricated wall members and is applicable to wooden boxes of the solid wall type or to crates of the slatted wall type.

The salient feature of the invention consists in the provision of a box or crate in which each prefabricated end wall is interlocked with prefabricated side walls or with prefabricated top and bottom walls :by four interlocking cleats arranged in rectangular formation, two parallel cleats at each end of the box or crate being formed with mitered ends atly engaging bevelled longitudinal side edges of the two remaining cleats located at the same end of the box or crate to thereby provide an intertting or interlocking arrangement of cleats which effectively secures the end walls against displacement relative to the side walls and which also enables the component walls of the box or crate to be rapidly secured together in an assembled relation With a minimum amount of nailing. In this connection it may be noted that two parallel cleats at each end of the box or crate constitute component elements of the prefabricated end wall and that the two remaining cleats with which the end Wall cleats are interlocked constitute component elements of two prefabricated opposing side or top and bottom walls of the box.

Other characteristic features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a solid wall box embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the section line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the end walls viewed from the outside.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the side walls viewed from the inside.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of one end Wall and a portion of one side wall with the Walls in juxtaposition.

The wooden box shown in the illustrated ernbodiment of the invention comprises prefabricated end walls 5, side walls 6, top wall 'l and bottom wall 8. Upper and lower horizontal cleats 9 are provided as component elements of each prefabricated end wall 5. These cleats 9 extend across the full width of the outer side of the end wall flush with the upper and lower edges thereof. The inner longitudinal edges of the cleats 9 are bevelled to provide bevel surfaces lil facing toward the end wall 5. A pair of vertically extending cleats Ii are fitted between the end portions of the cleats 9 at each end of the box. The cleats Il constitute component elements of end portions of the prefabricated side walls 6 which project beyond the outer side of the end wall 5. The upperand lower ends of the cleats I! are mitered as indicated at l2 to conform to and fit flatly against the bevelled edges I0 of the cleats 9. The prefabricated top and bottom walls 1 and 8 are each secured in place by four corner nails i3. As here shown each nail i3 is driven through an end portion of one of the cleats 9 and into the mitered end portion l2 of the engaging cleat Il. It will be understood that other well known devices instead of nails may be used for securing the prefabricated end, side, bottom and top walls in assembled positions. The cleats Il are thus secured against outward lateral movement thereof relative to the cleats 9. Since the mitered ends I2 of cleats Il fit between the bevelled surfaces Ill of cleats 9 and the outer side of end wall 5, it will be seen that each end wall is securely held against inward, outward or vertical movement relative to the side walls 6.

The described rectangular arrangement of interfitting cleats whereby each end Wall of the box is interlocked with two remaining walls, such as the side or the top and bottom walls greatly increases the strength and shock absorbing resiliency of the box. In this connection it will be understood that, in order to obtain the benets of the increased strength and shock absorbing resiliency afforded by the present invention, two parallel cleats at keach end of the box must be carried by the end wall and disposed in rectang-ular interitting relation with the two remaining cleats which are carried, respectively, by opposite side or by opposing top and bottom walls of the box. The bevelled cleats are preferably carried by the end wall and the cc-acting mitered cleats by the side and top or bottom Walls. Another advantage of the present invention is that the rectangular interfltting arrangement of cleats, whereby each end wall is interlocked with the side or with the top and bottom Wall, reduces the amount of nailing required in prefabricating and securing together the component walls of the container. This is due to the fact that any shock stresses imposed on the nails securing the component walls of the container and on the nails securing the cleats of the end walls to the cleats of the sides or top and bottom walls, are evenly divided among the nails in a desirable manner by the rectangular intertting arrangement of the cleats.

The crate type of container does not vary from the construction described in connection with the wooden box except that the side walls and the top and bottom walls may be made of slats. Instead of solid panel the slats of the side walls will be secured to the cleats which overlap the end panels and are interlocked with the cleats and carried. thereby.

It will be apparent from the description given 3 above that the box or crate is of very simple construction. The cleats and the panels or slats used in forming the prefabricated end Walls and side Walls are all machined by simple straight line Vcutting:v The sevpreiabricated end` wallsand side walls', ton-and blottm walls canjbe shipped in'the flat in Very small packages and can be readily assembled by the packer throug-h the aid f of unskilled labor.

It is obvious that minor chan-ges in the details of the prefabricated units may. be made Withouo departing from the spirit of 4the'inve'nt'ion as set Y' i fii'erof- 'this patent.;

forth in the appended clainr.`

I claim:

A box or crate comprising prefabricatd bb't-4 torn, top, sideand end walls, each prefabricated nd wall fnclding'apanelfad va pair -of parallel cleats :extending ft'r'ansveis'elyacross the 'upper Y and ilivygi' portionsfof 'fthe-panel "at vthe marginal :edges thereof; eeen cleat AEbeing`ffermjed Y with Aa beveled 'surface at yeach end overlyingeand facing 'toward `said panel, each v'si'l'e- Wall including a panel and a pair olf'eleatsieXtend-ng vertically of the side 'Wallaerosslitheends'fof the'side wall and disposed on the iinrfae thereof so as to overitl-f1 lap the end walls, the ends of 'each side wall cleat being formed with a mitered bevel conforming to the beveled surface on the end Wall cleats and interposed between the end wall panel and the Ybeveled'surfaces;of the ',cleaissfwhen' the walls are assembled, and means drhblding saidr ends and side walls in assembled relation.

ARTHUR C. THOIVIPSON.

REFERENCES CITED 'The following references are of record in the UNITED STATES PATENTS 

